Already Losing Their Way, the Bears Lose Cutler, Too

Jay Cutler’s neck stiffened up just as the playoff race tightened a little more around his Chicago Bears.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 154 yards and 2 first-quarter touchdowns, and Harrison Smith returned an interception for a score on Sunday to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 21-14 victory over the free-falling Bears, who have lost four of five.

“We have to make sure we close this hole up before it gets too late,” said receiver Devin Hester, who dropped a sure touchdown pass from Cutler when he was wide open up the middle on third down with less than five minutes left.

Brandon Marshall, who finished with 10 catches for 160 yards, failed to catch the ball on the next play, giving the ball back to the Vikings (7-6). That was the last pass of the day for Cutler, who had taken a late hit to the head earlier on that drive.

When the visiting Bears (8-5) started their next possession, Jason Campbell was in at quarterback for Chicago, which seems to have lost every bit of its first-half momentum. The Bears host division-leading Green Bay next week, then play at Arizona and Detroit to finish the season. Despite starting 7-1, the Bears have already started talking about needing to win out.

“That’s fine, we can do that,” defensive end Julius Peppers said.

¶ DaJuan Harris rushed for a touchdown in his first N.F.L. game, Aaron Rodgers added the longest scoring run of his career (27 yards), and Mike Daniels returned a fumble 43 yards for a score as the Packers beat the Lions, 27-20. Green Bay (9-4) can win the N.F.C. North by beating Chicago next week.

Photo

Trent Richardson scored twice in the Browns’ 30-7 win over the Chiefs. The margin of victory was Cleveland’s largest since 2003.Credit
Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

¶ Four days after Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy promised “payback” and “punishment” for Atlanta, the Panthers knocked off the Falcons, 30-20. Despite playing without four starters and having 13 players on injured reserve, the struggling Panthers dominated the N.F.C. South champion Falcons (11-2). The Panthers (4-9) came in with little to play for except to gain a measure of revenge on Matt Ryan, who they felt disrespected them after Atlanta’s 30-28 win on Sept. 30. Hardy was upset when TV cameras appeared to catch Ryan cursing at the Panthers on the sideline, telling them to get off the Falcons’ field.

¶ Frank Gore reached 1,000 yards rushing for the sixth time in his career, and Colin Kaepernick ran for a late 50-yard touchdown and passed for 185 yards in his fourth straight start as the 49ers beat the Dolphins, 27-13. Host San Francisco (9-3-1) kept its hold on the No. 2 seed in the N.F.C. behind Atlanta.

¶ His rhythm disrupted by a relentless pass rush, Ben Roethlisberger struggled early in his return from injury and the Steelers never recovered in a listless 34-24 loss to the visiting Chargers. The thumping continued a maddening trend for the Steelers (7-6), who have won at Baltimore, Cincinnati and the Giants this year but also have lost to Tennessee, Oakland, Cleveland and now the Chargers (5-8).

¶ Andrew Luck led host Indianapolis back from a 13-point second-half deficit and Adam Vinatieri made two field goals in the fourth quarter to give the Colts a 27-23 win over the Titans. It was the sixth fourth-quarter comeback Luck has engineered in his rookie season, and it moved Indianapolis (9-4) a step closer to an unexpected playoff bid.

¶ Marshawn Lynch had three touchdown runs and the Seahawks set a team record for points in a 58-0 win over the visiting Cardinals. Seattle (8-5) kept a firm grasp on an N.F.C. wild-card spot and kept alive its slim chances of catching the 49ers in the N.F.C. West.

¶ Sam Bradford capped a 14-play, 84-yard drive with a 13-yard pass to Brandon Gibson with 48 seconds left to give the visiting Rams a 15-12 win over the Bills.

¶ A week after Kansas City’s players bonded in grief after a teammate’s death, the Chiefs were clobbered by the Browns, 30-7. Jamaal Charles scored on an 80-yard run on the opening play, but Travis Benjamin’s 93-yard punt return in the second quarter swung momentum in Cleveland’s favor.

¶ Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes in the final four minutes, including a 1-yarder to Jeremy Maclin with no time left, to give the Eagles a 23-21 victory over the Buccaneers, ending an eight-game losing streak that put Coach Andy Reid’s job in jeopardy. Foles completed 32 of 51 passes for 381 yards.

A version of this article appears in print on December 10, 2012, on page D4 of the New York edition with the headline: Already Losing Their Way, the Bears Lose Cutler, Too. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe